La Liga round-up: Atletico Madrid win as Real Madrid draw and Barcelona lose in Lionel Messi’s absence
Diego Simeone's men capitalised on their rivals' disappointing outings with a win, despite missing two penalties
BARCELONA'S heaviest defeat in the last nine years (4-1) came against Celta Vigo last season, so leaving Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Javier Mascherano on the bench seemed an odd decision from Luis Enrique.
More so when Pione Sisto, Iago Aspas and a Jeremy Mathieu own goal had given the hosts a 3-0 half-time lead.
Barca rallied through Gerard Pique and a Neymar penalty before their good work was undone when Marc-Andre ter Stegen gifted Pablo Hernadez a fourth. Pique’s second late on made a game of the last few minutes but a draw would’ve been harsh on the hosts.
Real Madrid again struggled for long periods in their hugely surprising 1-1 draw against Eibar, the fourth in a row for Zinedine Zidane's men. The locals booed off their multi-millionaires at the break and at full time, but Jose Luis Mendilibar’s workhorses were well worth the point.
Fran Rico’s early opener – the first goal the tiny Basque side had ever scored against Los Blancos – stunned the Santiago Bernabeu into silence but it wasn’t long before Gareth Bale headed in from Cristiano Ronaldo's inviting cross to level the scores.
If Real expected the floodgates to open they were sorely mistaken, the loss of Luka Modric to injury even more evident here than in the last couple of fixtures.
Cesare Prandelli, fresh from a Singapore meeting with Valencia owner Peter Lim, was at the Mestalla to see his new side downed 2-0 by Atletico Madrid. Goals from Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro did the damage, but the manner of victory would’ve been much more comfortable were it not for Diego Alves, who expertly saved two penalties from Griezmann and Gabi.
Sevilla again made life difficult for themselves but had Wissam Ben Yedder to thank for the win against Alaves. The striker, whose goal had been the difference against Lyon in the Champions League in midweek, struck twice in the 74th and 91st minutes, sandwiching Victor Laguardia’s strike.
Ryan Babel – remember him – was the hero for Deportivo La Coruna with a stunning 91st minute winner against a stubborn Sporting Gijon side. The Asturians were far less adventurous than Depor and Sergio Alvares’ equaliser for the visitors after Celso Borges opener was scarcely deserved.
Las Palmas missed the chance to keep pace with the leaders but have David Garcia to thank for salvaging a point at newly promoted Osasuna. Roberto Torres and Sergio Leon had given the undergdogs a two-goal half time advantage and Vicente Gomez’s strike just before the hour looked scant consolation for another hard-working performance from Quique Setien’s Canary Islanders. Step forward Garcia in the 92nd minute to scramble the ball home.
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